In Victorian England, chimney sweep boys were often impoverished children, some as young as five or six, forced into one of the dirtiest and most dangerous jobs of the era. Their small size made them ideal for climbing inside narrow chimneys to scrape away soot and ash, but the work was brutal — they suffered from burns, suffocation, and a disease known as chimney sweep’s cancer caused by prolonged soot exposure. Many were orphans or sold by desperate families to master sweeps, who often treated

We just finished the July National Chimney Sweep Training School last week, and we have 2 more this year: August 19-24 and September 16-21. Make sure you go ahead and sign up before these classes fill up! You can sign up online at csia.org/ncsts. | Chimney Safety Institute of America